Joanna Lamb examines domestic, suburban living through a collection of contemporary still life works. The works draw on nostalgia both in their subject matter and materials, using tactile domestic materials such as Laminex and aluminium.

Lamb’s depiction of life using materials that are inherently unnatural speaks to the loss of nature and the advancement of the artificial.

The artist recalls “Growing up every kitchen I knew was covered in Laminex. Its tactile quality can be seductive…” However “Laminex as a material is suggestive of artifice… It is applied to surfaces to suggest something it is not”.

The Real Thing consists of three groupings of work: A series of still lifes depicting arranged flowers in states of decay; A second group of works depicting bottles and packaging; and a third group with a single home interior, repeated in a variety of palettes.

The three groupings offer different interpretations of still life, creating a picture of everyday suburban life that while familiar, is reduced to artificiality.